Mitigation by a Vampire
by echelonskerp
Summary: An AU where Princess Bubblegum and Marceline have never met. The conflict between their two kinds have driven them to war. Marceline must give up her royal status and venture to the forbidden Candy Kingdom as an outlaw, if she has any hope of stopping this war.
1. Chapter 1

**Welp, here's my shot at a multi-chapter fanfiction, one that I don't expect to be very long. For once in my life, can I finish one? I guess we'll see. I should mention that I was awfully inspired by the new Aquaman movie, but give it a chance even if you don't like half-breed fish guys. I can promise that it'll** _probably_ **be worth the read :) Don't forget to leave a review if you feel like it, and thank you to those who already left reviews on my one-shots, you guys are so sweet. (Note: Leon, if you can't tell, is my made-up name for the Vampire King from the Stakes series)**

 **Content Warning: Mention of suicide/suicidal thoughts, and some characters have been changed to fit the story**

* * *

Rough, grotesquely-calloused fingers caressed her arms from behind. She stiffened at the contact, but reminded herself that keeping a low profile meant making sure he didn't sense how utterly appalled she was by his very touch. Fangs lowered down to her exposed neck, teasing at the pale, vulnerable skin. It took everything in her not to shudder in disgust, or recoil from his form. Her cover was the darkness of the room, and for once she was not annoyed by the little fire in the wall, spitting sparks at her. At least he couldn't see her features well in the dim lighting.

"Ash-"

" _King_ Ash," he corrected.

"Of course, my king. I just…" He looked on expectantly, one hand running fingers slowly through her long, raven locks, and the other resting on her waistline. "Don't you think this is a bit much? This war? I mean, if we proceed… Innocent people will die." She strained to keep the fear from her voice at the same time as pretending to be mature and submissive.

A deep, throaty chuckle erupted before he stepped away, eyeing her with amusement.

"Oh, Marceline. Since when do you care for the innocent? We are e _vil_ , and we will prevail. Wicked wins, every time. Don't you agree?"

"Of course."

"Good. Now that your childishly empathetic fantasies are out of the way, I do believe we have a counsel to attend. Your father is waiting."

The King of Vampires spun and made his way to the doors of the random castle room. Seriously, how many rooms with fireplaces and tables for tea did one need? But, of course, symbols of status were on the top list of priorities for stuck up, bloodsucking royals. Marceline followed him quite like a lap dog, which is exactly what she felt like, before joining their arms like mature sovereigns, engaged and professional. They exited together as if they were so in love, as if all was well.

The rulers of lesser regions were already down the hall, seated and waiting in the counsel room, including her own father.

"Father," she greeted the man coldly. She was still enraged about his arranging of a marriage between herself and Ash. Apparently, the marriage was meant for the good of the people, and "uniting the kingdoms" was the best option. It was weeks before she finally convinced herself to stop planning suicides that were meant to get her out of being the repulsive _Ash's_ betrothed. She would never bow to her father, or Ash for that matter, by the action of taking her own life. She would not be so cowardly.

Once king of the Nightosphere Kingdom, Hunson Abadeer gave up his power to the most privileged of princes, where he become but a mere figure of congress. Perhaps he expected weeks of vacationing and trips, hunting animals just for the hell of watching the life of their souls fade from their eyes. But being alive meant still having an opinion, one that the new king found relevant.

"Marceline." Her father nodded at the two seemingly getting along. She shook herself from Ash's grip, just to spite her father's approval. The rest of the royal court looked about awkwardly, clearly as uncomfortable about the war- and the current family issues- as she.

Ash cleared his throat.

"Fellows of royal blood and service. This meeting is convened to discuss our ever-wavering control over the people of candy. It is my proposition that we finally take action. We must declare official war." A smirk pulled at his lips, almost imperceptibly, as murmurs spread. Marceline might have despised him, but she knew his tactics. He would get what he wanted out of these old trolls, one way or another.

"Your highness," Ash's personal counselor, Leon, interjected. "If I may, don't you think it wiser to first approach non-violent options?"

"No, I don't," said Ash, finally irritated at the recurring prospect. "For years now, they have meddled with the natural way. It is as so: vampires suck blood, and with humans virtually extinct, the candy people are the only source of it. Because of their strengthening restrictions, many of our own have already converted to feasting on livestock. And dare I even mention the ones who only suck the red color? Peppers, berries, and melons! Imagine that. Our lands are being taken over by farms!" Several heads began nodding in agreement, others shuddering in disgust at the very thought.

"Cloth, even! They are all savages!" someone at the far side of the table erupted.

 _Wrong,_ thought Marceline. _We are the savages, not the little sugar people._

Another retired member named Hierophant, once a great ruler, added, "And by installing those candy guardians, they challenge _our_ strength. They are insulting us, and just as easily asking for us to raid." More nods of agreement.

"You've got to be an actual idiot if that's your justification for mass murder," Marceline spat. Everyone turned to look at her in bewilderment. True, she was legally a part of the meeting, but as a female, nobody really expected her to participate. It was the unspoken consensus that her fiancé would be one voice for the both of them.

"Princess of the Nightosphere," another irrelevant royal member addressed. "What is it that you expect from us? The daughter of the most ruthless-" Hunson grinned at this despite his daughter's words of treachery- "ruler, speaking on behalf of the savages?" That word again. Did they even know the definition of it? He continued, "You should really hold your tongue here." There were hums of approval and the men went on discussing preparations for war.

Suddenly Marceline's skin was on fire with hatred. Perhaps she'd subconsciously known all along that she was unlike these vampires, but in that very moment, there was a realization within that the necessary precautions had to be taken. Even if it took all her will to betray all she'd known. Even if this could very well be the suicide she had finally talked herself out of.

When dawn arrived, and all who were sensible were in their rooms with thick curtains shielding them from the hiss of sunlight, she would slip out of her designated quarters. She'd feel the freedom of the breeze and the comfort of the sky, watching over her. Until then, she'd have to wait for this ridiculous meeting to be over.

When it finally was over, she was the first to escape the room, or more accurately, escape the collective wrath of both Hunson Abadeer and Ash. Once safe in her room, she began plotting. And doubts did arise. What if she was crazy and desensitized to the love of vampire culture? What if the candy people actually _were_ rotten savages that only the hand of evil, with its great eternal power, could suppress? What if she was the monster, and just couldn't see it yet?

No. These wandering thoughts were ridiculous. She was going to save lives. She'd already saved lives, being one of the few to convert to a diet of red color. If Ash knew that, he'd probably have her head, or perhaps not ever speak to her again. But then again, that last one didn't sound too bad.

The fear then arose of how long could she claim stomachaches and diet restrictions when he offered to take her hunting in the night? How long could she keep going out alone for a "hunt", only to hide in the trees and pray that no other vampire stumbled upon her, wondering, why was the princess not joined in the chase for stray candy people?

Marcy shook her head. This needed to be done. If she didn't stop the king and his advancements of war, then many would pay. Even their own kind.

Rummaging around in abandoned drawers, she searched for loose articles to clothe her on her journey and protect her skin from frying up in the daylight. There were endless socks, and a pair of long gloves- she could use that. There were thick leggings, made specially for blocking sun rays. She found more socks, a gigantic floppy sunhat, more socks, and- _how could someone have so many socks?_ Oh, there were thigh-high boots, ruby red in color, very convenient in purpose. She decided on everything but the countless socks.

Suddenly the door burst open, revealing a young, white-haired man, with an unnecessary crown added for emphasis.

"What the hell was that?" he shouted.

Marceline almost shrieked in surprise, stuffing the items back into the drawer.

"Sorry?"

Ash stopped to eye her suspiciously. "What have you got there?"

"Nothing. What's wrong?" She faked innocence as she had all her life, back when it was still just daddy and daughter of the Nightosphere.

"What did you just-? Never mind! How could you embarrass me like that? Every man at that meeting is now questioning my power. If I can't even keep my own betrothed under control, how can I spearhead an entire _war_? I'm starting to think you're not on my side, Marceline."

"Of course I am!" she lied. "I just- I'm concerned about the destruction we will leave in our wake. What if we make enemies we never even saw possible? Ones we didn't even know existed? What else is beyond those borders than just sugary goblins? Have you ever thought maybe the world isn't just vampires and candy?"

"Why don't you leave the worrying to me?" Ash seethed.

"But-"

"No. You sit there and look pretty while I handle anything dangerous." It struck Marceline that if he wasn't such a jerk, that would have been a pretty romantic thing to say. Too bad she hated his guts. "Now, I'm going to go talk to your father, the only one who hasn't left, and reassure him that I can handle his _daughter_ that he entrusted to _me_."

"My _father_ couldn't care less about me. He just wants to make sure he's entrusting his fortune and power into the lesser of all you idiots."

With a cold glare and an obvious distaste for this conversation, Ash turned and quickly stormed out of the room, slamming the door on his way out. Well. At least if he was angry at Marcy, he wouldn't try to hang around her. She'd need the isolation for her plan to work.

Step one of her plot was to prepare herself. Step two was to find Leon.

After wandering through castle halls for Ash's personal counselor, Marceline came upon a room she hadn't been to before. Or, at least, she didn't recognize it. It appeared to be some sort of study. She entered, feeling wildly intrusive. The room, unlike the red of most of the castle rooms, had walls of gray. They were pale and depressing, and they reminded Marcy of, an uncomfortably large bit, herself. There were file cases on three of the four walls, the cabinets new and shiny silver. The remaining wall had a single desk, with one old, wooden chair and one chair of superior quality. It was a boneless throne, almost, with golden outlines and bejeweled corners. Leave it to Ash to have a mini throne in a random room. And there were so many rooms. If she made it out of this war, Marceline planned to chart every one, just to escape boring counsel meetings. Or perhaps, if she was really lucky, she'd never have to set foot here again.

Warm fingers grasped at her arm, and a hand covered her mouth before she could scream.

"Marceline!" someone whispered with fright. Behind her was a large, burly figure, with abnormally yellow skin for a vampire.

"Leon?" she whispered through covered lips. She studied him up close. He looked every bit healthy, but his nearly feline features were older with stress. He still wore a thin, wrangled crown of thorns, once belonging to Ash's great mother before her death. Marcy once got him to spill that secret, and even the dramatic part of how he was madly in love with the queen, and her death broke him. Leon was the queen's counsel long before Marceline was born, and the vampire princess grew up seeing him at meetings and events.

"Marceline, you can't be here."

"Duh. What is this place?"

"Not somewhere you should be. You have to go now, before Ash arrives,"

"Please, he's busy chatting up my father, re-earning his favor through charm, probably."

"Nevertheless, you're not safe. I have an excuse for expressing my concerns at that meeting. But you, Princess, do not. They will be after you the second you slip up. I know well you intend to prevent this war, and as much as I support you, you are not _safe_ , Marceline."

"Okay, fine, I get it. I was looking for you anyway, not trying to sneak into weird rooms. I came to tell you that I'm leaving tomorrow, at dawn."

"Dawn?" He looked every bit as weary as she felt about this betrayal, but it was obvious he knew exactly why she was leaving.

"Will you help me or not?" She tapped her foot, knowing he was going to say yes, but annoyed at how long he was taking to be convinced.

"I will be just beyond the moor." Finally. "Dawn?" He raised an eyebrow, seeking assurance.

"Dawn," she reaffirmed.

"Now go," he said, his face furrowed in fear.

She slipped out of the strange room just as footsteps began to patter heavily down the hall, disappearing when the door closed to the room she had just been in. That was close, but a thrill, at the same time. If nothing else and she was a failure in her rebellion, at least she felt the rush of adrenaline and the fresh thrill of ripe betrayal. Her doubts would reign no longer.

The hours ticked by slowly, and Marceline spent them either by plotting, or taking naps. She would need her energy to remain awake during the daytime. The game of the sun was ruthless, but she had no choice but to engage this time, rather than hide away behind curtains and under blankets.

Eventually, deep oxford skies bled into pinks and oranges, and the first sight of light signaled the start of a new day.

Dawn.

"Beyond the moor" was old man code for the forest across the field. It would be difficult to sneak there in the nighttime, when the castle grounds were crawling with vampires. But in the sunlight, there were only a few patrolling, forced into being diurnal as part of the job. Marceline easily made it past them, dodging into the trees before anyone caught a whiff of royal blood and rose scented body wash.

As promised, Leon was already there, leaning against a grand oak.

"I would go with you if I could," he said, handing her a crimson red apple.

"Yes, good morning to you too."

He rolled his eyes as she stuck a single fang into the fruit, the color slowly draining. "Tell me about your plan."

"Oh, you know I'm gonna waltz in there and seduce the king, force him to not engage."

"Their ruler is a female, actually."

It was Marcy's turn to drain of color, before bringing it back with an embarrassed blush. "Oh. Really? Well, I'll-uh seduce the queen?"

"Princess, actually." Leon looked almost smug.

"Whatever! So what great advice and modes of transportation do you have for me?"

"First off, don't get killed. I'm serious. Secondly, I've arranged for an old friend of mine to come pick you up. Listen to me, Marceline." Her ears pricked back with curiosity at the tone of his voice. "This is something I've never told anyone since the death of the queen." She nodded for him to go on, annoyed by the suspense. "This person who is coming to get you will be able to take you straight to the princess, and this is because he is a candy citizen. Not just that, but personal aid to their princess."

Marceline sucked in a harsh breath in surprise and interest.

"A _candy_ person?"

"Yes, and he'll be here any minute. You'll be in the candy kingdom in no time, but it's up to you to remain safe once you're inside."

"Unbelievable." What if he was a savage candy man?

She was about to find out, because a little carriage came through a path between the trees quietly, save for the clop of horse hooves against the ground. Woah. The horse was made of _candy_. And the little man driving the carriage was-

"You're a little _peppermint man?_ That's so cute! Wait, you're not a savage, are you?"

"Marceline, if you please. May I remind you that you _are_ royalty. This is Peppermint Butler."

"Greetings, milady. Indeed, I am the personal butler to none other than Princess Bubblegum. I will be your escort into the kingdom, so long as you don't eat me, vampire."

"Aww, you're too cute to eat, anyway. Well, Leon." She turned to him, almost wondering if she should give him a hug, but climbing into the carriage instead. "Guess this is goodbye."

"The fate of the two people is up to you. You can stop this war. Until we meet again, Marceline."

The carriage went in a circle before heading back in the direction it had come from. Marceline couldn't help but think about how Leon's goodbye sure sounded permanent, and hoped that the situation wasn't so dire as it sounded.

The little striped man had a cute little voice fit just for a cute little candy person. Marceline wondered what his people had ever done to provoke such violence from her own. It was her belief that they had done nothing, and that the wall was merely protection, not a challenge. Either way, she had already thrown herself headfirst into this war, so if she didn't save them, both of their kinds would be doomed. The victor would not be without loss.

"So," Marceline began. "Tell me about this 'Princess Bubblegum'."


	2. Chapter 2

**Here's the product of a day's worth of writing, and a day's worth of editing and failing to try out Grammarly. Enjoy :)**

* * *

A scream pierced the crisp morning air.

"They're gonna kill me!"

"Miss, please-"

"In cold blood!"

"Princess, surely you expected them, you said yourself that your counsel knows of their installment," said the little peppermint man.

"Yeah, but I didn't think they'd be _monsters_." Marceline pouted, refusing to pass the gumball guardians. They were not at all what she'd expected. They looked hundreds of feet tall, but maybe that was just her imagination. They could kill her easily, especially since she was a vampire. Vampires were sworn enemies of the candy people, so why not eliminate her?

"They're not monsters, miss. Merely sentinels of… grand size. And they won't kill you, so long as you're not evil. If you've nothing sinister to hide, you'll easily make it past them. Come along."

"And if I _am_ evil?" The question did stand. What if she was just as wicked as the rest? But then there was the reminder on her swear that doubts would reign no longer.

"Then it would be at Leon's fault, and his alliance with our kingdom will be terminated. Milady, if you will, we must go before the banana guards spot us."

"That's weird." She sighed. "Okay, fine."

The vampire outlaw inhaled once before darting past the huge guards, biting down on her tongue the whole time. She carried the butler with her, entering the castle through a window that he directed her to. The guardians did so much as glance at her, not even turning to watch what she was doing or where she was going. She grinned when she released the butler and looked around at the incredibly luminous room.

 _Huh,_ she thought with a tinge of pride. _Guess I'm not evil._

The room that they entered was awfully bright, and awfully _colorful_. The walls were brick, predominantly yellow, but with blush scatters. The floors were cotton candy pink with rugs, also pink, but in a subtly different way that she couldn't really put her finger on.

"Miss?" The little candy man interrupted her wonders of how something could look so perfectly like a candy kingdom. Perhaps because it was, but still, it was a bit too sweet for her eyes.

"Huh?"

"Right through this door."

He led her through the winding halls, all incredibly vibrant. Marceline had to keep rubbing at her eyes. They were not quite used to so much brightness and color. Down what seemed like the main corridor, there were a few chambers branching off. It didn't appear that there were useless rooms with tea tables and fireplaces. _That_ was a nice thing to see for a change. Peppermint Butler led her into one of the rooms where a flamingo colored table (why was everything _pink_?) sat in the center. It resembled the meeting room back her own castle, just less mundane.

"You can wait here while I fetch the princess."

"Sure," she shrugged, clicking her tongue in a bored fashion. What kind of princess was the girl, anyway? Candy, obviously, but it was fun to imagine a girl in the shape of a gummy root beer bottle, or maybe a gumdrop. Yikes, what if she was a worm made from sugar? Or maybe she was an actual sweet, like a cake slice. Wait, that didn't sound right.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN THERE'S A VAMPIRE IN MY CASTLE?" someone screeched from down the hall. Maybe she was a marshmallow vulture? A butterscotch dragon?

Rushed footsteps neared her as she suddenly began to shift nervously. What if this lady was crazy, _savage_? Maybe Marceline hadn't thought this through thoroughly enough. If she ended up in jail- or executed even, her efforts would have been in vain. Leon's efforts would have been in vain. Failure was something she'd come to recognize, to know within herself, but this was her last chance. If she failed, all would be lost.

The door burst open. Marceline jumped a couple inches, despite not actually being on the ground. She floated down, taking in the sight of the figure furiously smoldering in the doorway.

 _Oh._

She wasn't a candy or a sweet at all. She was an actual girl. But pink? The butler did mention their ruler being named Bubblegum, now that she thought about it. The girl was short, or shorter than Marcy, at least. She had long, fluffy looking hair, held back in a ridiculously messy, low pony tail. She wore glasses, like some sort of nerd, and a long white lab coat. Her face was incredibly sculpted, and her body was thin but so _curvy_ , exactly how a candy girl would be sculpted. But she had deep, dark bags beneath her eyes. It was evident that she was exhausted. Did she know there was a thing called sleep? Nevertheless, she was very… pretty. Pretty for a strawberry gum girl.

"If I didn't know better, I'd think you were the kingdom scientist." Marcy commented at the sight of her.

"I _am_ a scientist! Who are you?" When Marcy only stared, suddenly speechless, the princess turned to her butler, enraged. "How did she get past my guardians?"

"Princess, she's one of us. Hear her out."

"One of-? She's a flipping vampire!"

Marceline tried to be offended, but couldn't. Of course, her kind were known to the candy people as killers. Could she blame the pink girl for not trusting her, or immediately welcoming her with open arms?

"Pep-But says that if I were really evil, your big ugly guards would have zapped me," she offered.

"You're a _vampire_." Bubblegum was dumbfounded. "So what in Ooo are you doing in my conference room?" she hissed. Her tone struck Marcy in the chest, it was all accusation.

"Well, long story short? I'm here to convince you to stop the war."

"Really? And how do you propose I do that?"

"Well, I- uh…" Marceline thought back to her conversation with Leon, remembering that seducing a king wouldn't get the candy people to lay down their armor. Mostly because they didn't have a king at all. "You can not send your armies out?"

"I'm well aware that your people are soon sending troops to massacre my citizens. Do you propose that I just let them, instead of sending an army?"

"Well, when you put it like that…"

"You will leave immediately. You are not welcome here."

"Wait! I need your help." The princess stared, the closest thing to an opportunity to talk that she'd given Marcy yet. "You said it yourself, your citizens are going to be massacred. Sending an army will only slow the inevitable. You will lose either way. If you let me help-"

"Help?!" Princess Bubblegum threw her arms up in exasperation. "You? This is ridiculous."

"Princess, please," her butler tried.

"No, I've had quite enough of this. Peps, lead this miscreant out of my castle, before I lead her to my dungeon."

"Miscreant?! You chewy piece of-!"

"As you wish, Princess," Peppermint Butler hurriedly took the darker girl by the arm, both of them looking quite grim, and led her out of the room. The bubblegum princess began muttering to herself in hushed, angry tones.

Marceline wanted to be angry at the girl. She wanted to scream and resist fate and beg Bubblegum to reconsider. She wanted to stop this war and save lives. For once, couldn't she be the hero? Why did she always have to be considered the villain, just because she belonged to a barbarity of blood-suckers who committed crimes? She wasn't them. But she was born the daughter of evil, raised among killers, her adolescence slain by her courtship was a ruthless king, and now her roots were determining her fate. She was always meant be judged for the crimes she didn't commit. It wasn't her fault, but as a vampire, it was in her blood.

She wanted to hate Princess Bubblegum, but she couldn't.

"My apologies, Ms. Abadeer. The princess is under a lot of stress at the moment."

She looked at the talking candy, and felt a stab of sorrow in her heart. He really tried to uphold his agreement with Leon. He really tried to help a vampire gone rogue. And he very well was going to die, all because of a feud Marcy couldn't douse.

They remained silent as he walked out the front gate, where she finally saw the banana guards she'd heard about. They were actual bananas, with chocolate heads and poky spears. They stared at her in wonder before letting her pass. This time, the gumball guardians didn't even spare her a glance.

"I'm sorry, little candy man," she sniffed, hating herself for being emotional. It was about time she felt something new, though.

"For what, miss?" The look of confusion on his face just killed her even more.

"I can't save you. I can't save any of you, not even your stubborn princess."

He dismissed her nonchalantly and just said, "Don't give up so soon."

"I'll be around, butler," she exhaled dramatically before floating grudgingly into the taffy trees, which were just as rosy as the kingdom they surrounded. She sat around pondering for a while, occasionally drinking the red from tiny little forest flowers to keep her energy up. She wondered, if they were poisonous, could sucking the color cause the poison to befall her?

When all was quiet, and the pondering continued, there began a humming sound. At first, she paid no mind, but it quickly grew into a loud droning. Suddenly the trees were rumbling. A far-off explosion sounded. Was there an earthquake? She peeked out of the tree line, curious. She was startled to see the Candy Kingdom was smoking in several places, and screams began fracturing the slumbering night. Wait- night? Had she been gone from home so long?

Night. It was the waking hour of the vampires, their time of thriving. This was no earthquake.

Marceline made it as far as she could without leaving the cover of the trees. Painful howls assaulted her ears, and then were drowned out by several more explosions. She hissed to herself with fury. The war had officially been approved. They were letting the candy people know: They were coming. Slowly, the culprits began to emerge from the ruin. She waited for the very second that they were completely out of range for witnessing her to leap from her position. It was a race to the kingdom, a race against death. Someone could perish, but maybe she'd be the hero if she got there with time on her side. It was a flash of seconds, then she was there.

Destruction wasn't even remotely how she would describe the sight. There were bodies _everywhere_. This was absolute demolition. She was reminded morbidly of her conversation with the princess. This wasn't a fight, it was a massacre. Buildings were collapsed completely, and people were wailing in the streets. She had no time to marvel at how many different candy people there were, though she would have liked to under different circumstances. The only building left standing was the castle, home of the princess. If this wasn't a message, Marcy didn't know what was. She flew through the kingdom, searching for survivors in need. Most were either just shaken, or already en route to the castle.

In one particular section, closest to the castle, was the most damage. Taller buildings hadn't even collapsed in, they'd completely fallen on their sides like they'd been tapped by a giant, sending them into a domino chain reaction. Houses and shops were crushed beneath them, and the residents within probably had no time to flee.

Then, as quick as she turned the corner, her heart fell into her stomach.

"Over here, PB!" a human boy yelled over a crushed candy citizen, shattered into paper-thin filaments within a little tuxedo. The boy hung his head as Marcy sucked in a breath of grief. He didn't even seem to notice that beside him was a vampire. Suddenly the princess was there, too, still dressed in a lab coat and dorky glasses. She emitted a choked sob, and fell to her knees, grasping the remains of one once known to her.

"Can't you glue him back together, with like spit, or something scientific?" said the boy.

"I can't. His structure is too finely destructed. In order to save him, I'd need to mend his genetic material, and I don't have the chemicals necessary for that. My lab was damaged in a nearby explosion."

"Pep-But," Marceline whispered.

" _I can't save you. I can't save any of you, not even your stubborn princess."_

" _Don't give up so soon."_

"I didn't save you…"

Princess Bubblegum and the human boy seemed to finally notice her presence.

"You!" the princess shouted.

"I didn't have anything to do with this! I came to help when I heard the explosions," Marcy explained. When the princess looked at her with doubt, she continued with, "Look me in the eyes. Peppermint Butler was almost like a friend, my _only_ friend around here."

"Princess," the boy spoke up. He was studying Marcy closely as she spoke. "She didn't do it. I saw her after I escaped the last vampires. She was helping. I didn't know she was a _vampire_."

"Well… as my most loyal knight, I trust you. I just hope you're right, Finn, because in such a case, royal protocol demands I treat her as any other innocent."

"Finn, is it?" Marceline asked.

He grinned despite his mourning and stuck out a hand for her to shake. How incredible for her to see a real human, when many thought them to be extinct. And how incredible for him to have an ally of the same breed as his enemies. Perhaps he was especially starstruck, because he didn't even ask for her name.

"Well, Princess, I'll leave you be and round up the rest of the survivors. I'll send Jake for the… corpses," Finn said, his voice cracking with sorrow. When the leader only nodded, he retrieved a sword from the rubble and sheathed it before leaving.

"I'm sorry, Bubblegum," Marcy said, fiddling with the end of her shirt uncomfortably.

"I'd like to say it's not your fault, but I'm not sure about anything anymore." She removed her glasses as a single tear fell to the ground. Marcy wasn't even offended by that. "I'm sorry I rejected you so definitely earlier. Perhaps if I'd accepted your help, this wouldn't have been so terribly tragic."

"I'm sorry," the outlaw said again. _She_ knew this wasn't her doing, but she still didn't know what else to voice other than apologies.

"Don't be." The pink-skinned even went as far as to smile softly. "I can bring most of them back to life."

"Oh, okay… Wait- what?"

"Forget I'm a scientist? A pretty brilliant one, I'd say. I've perfected the right serum for the job."

"Oh, that's great, I think." Was bringing people back from rest great? It wasn't natural, that was for sure.

"But without my lab, the ones who aren't intact enough are just… gone." She turned back to her shattered, late friend, more tears welling.

"Princess? Please let me help."

The princess looked back up at her, commencing eye contact. "You know," she said. "I never caught your name."

"Marceline." She blushed in embarrassment. "I know it's weird. Not like there's anything I can do about it, anyway."

"Don't feel too bad. Mine is Bonnibel."

Marcy thought, with sudden interest, that the girl's name was strangely pretty. Delicate and pretty.

"Okay then, Marceline. What's your plan?"

"How about we clean up this fiasco first, before we go anywhere." She spun in a circle, surveying the scene with a sinking feeling.

"And then?"

"And then… the Vampire Kingdom."


	3. Chapter 3

**This chapter is _packed_ with dialogue and I have no regrets :) It just means we get to see first-hand the relationship development between our two girls! Also, please remember that (as most of you already know) this is an alternate universe, and therefore not every detail is the same as in the actual show. With that being said, Marcy's powers are limited to flight and maybe some self-healing, just to help the story flow better. **

**Note: My winter break is coming to an end, so expect future updates on this story to be less frequent**

* * *

Marceline flew over the endless trees, toward the realm of the vampires. She carried the princess with her, rather uncomfortably. They were, in fact, close to strangers.

"Are you sure leaving the kingdom is the best choice? What if my people need me?"

"You said yourself that Finn is your most trusted knight. He can handle it. Probably," Marceline shrugged.

Princess Bubblegum was dressed rather casually in a simple dress with a hooded cloak atop it, while Marcy was forced to cover up in her long socks and sunhat. It was daytime again, approaching evening, and it was such a _nice_ day. The flowers were all in bloom. It was spring, though the princess had to tell her that. Marcy never paid much attention to plants and nature when it was dark and cold, and when she just wanted to go home and stop pretending to be hunting for candy people. They flew on as a gentle breeze ruffled their hair like feathers on a falcon so free, hundreds of feet in the air. It was a feeling of liberty, and it pained her to know they were only enjoying it at the moment because of scheming and ravaging.

"So," said Bonnibel. "Remind me again why we're heading to precisely the place that wants my very blood?" It was obvious that the princess was experiencing a great deal of discomfort and doubt. Who was to say that Marceline wasn't faking, and that she wasn't feigning innocence to capture the enemy's ruler? It was an effective war tactic to first take out the leader, and leave the rest of the enemy distressed and unsure what to do with themselves. When the thought was brought up, Marcy was quick to remind her that the vampires didn't want capitulation, and rather sought murder and blood. Literally.

"I told you, genius. We need to find a friend of mine. He'll have vital information on the king's plan to attack." _If he hasn't been caught and executed,_ Marcy thought. "We'll need that to organize a direct attack on the king, or at the very least, a defense."

The bubblegum girl narrowed her eyes. "How do you know so much about this war?"

"I, uh-" Busted. "Oh! We're here." Or not.

"Really? I thought- wOAHHH!"

The outlaw began descending rather quickly, but landed soundly within the outskirts of the kingdom.

"Whoops. Forgot you're not used to flying."

"THEN REMEMBER!"

"Yeesh. Sorry for getting us here before dark, when the vampires come out and eat your people alive like dissolved sugar cubes, then leave their husks to rot."

The candy princess looked at her in horror. "That's really distasteful."

"Well it's the truth." She shrugged. "Did you want me to lie and pretend this war isn't already disgustingly gruesome?"

Bubblegum opened her mouth to respond, then closed it, and instead jumped on Marceline, pushing her over and completely behind a dense blackthorn bush. "Convenient," she hissed, now atop her vampire ally.

"What the-?!"

"Shh." She held up a finger, physically ordering Marceline to quiet, as if hushing her fell short of delivering that message. After about a minute of silence, and an oblivious Marcy staring daggers at the princess, Bubblegum let out a breath that she didn't know she was holding. "Okay," she breathed, stepping away. "I think we're safe now."

"Safe from what? The scary wind?"

"Safe from your _people_ , you ding-dong!"

"A vampire?"

" _A vampire?_ " Bubblegum mocked. "Yes! What else?" Marceline was beginning to notice that this girl had a temper. "You ought to thank this opportune bush for conveniently being two feet away from us."

"Thanks, bush. And thanks, _princess_."

Bubblegum rolled her eyes in annoyance.

"You can just call me Bonnibel, you know."

"Hmm." Marcy pretended to be conflicted, before grinning mischievously. "Nah."

"Fine. If you're done being difficult, my map says that we're near a market."

"Forget your map. I know where we are. This way." She led them through serpentine alleyways and hidden streets for nearly an hour, grumbling about not being able to fly. It would draw too much attention. "Where did you even get a map of the kingdom?"

"Peppermint Butler, of course." They looked at each other solemnly. "He had sources."

A _source. Leon._

They went on a ways, until Marceline stopped them just before a crossing came into view.

"The market is just across the road. We have to go through there to avoid being spotted by an army base on the left. Beyond there is a forest, that's where we'll have a chance of communicating with Le- uh, a friend of mine." She avoided mentioning his name in case they were compromised sometime in the near future. "If we're seen- if _you're_ seen, we're done for. Early birds will be setting up their shops and stalls. If we stay quiet, they'll have no reason to be suspicious."

"Okay. I'm trusting you to not get me killed." Bubblegum pulled her cloak tightly around her and the hood over her head, careful to hide any bright, strawberry hair.

"As if, Princess. Let's go."

They crossed an old intersection that seemed to no longer be in use. It led directly to the market, which was awfully small. Marceline said it was already twice the size compared to last year, and still growing. Along the barrier of the marketplace were older people who were setting up, withered and scarred from unknown causes. Perhaps they'd once been a part of past wars, or forced into daytime slaving by kings of the past, now gone or retired.

Some of the elderly vampires were bringing livestock into gated enclosures. They were big, healthy animals like cattle and pigs, with pulsing veins and wide eyes. It was if they somehow knew a terrible fate would befall them, and soon.

Marceline caught Bonnie's questioning eyes. "Those are for the people who have given up on candy blood. They just breed and slaughter livestock. It's awful, but I guess better than sucking your subjects dry."

The princess paled. "And those?" she asked, gesturing towards the rest of the stalls. They were full of fruits, some vegetables, and occasionally miscellaneous objects, all red in color. There were endless apples, strawberries, cherries, raspberries, cranberries, and any other red produce with sugar.

"Those are for the least wild of us all. We suck the color, instead of murdering innocents, or any live breed."

They neared the marketplace exit with exhales, and then managed to get by without a single questioning vampire.

"We?" Bonnibel eyed her with a new fondness.

"Oh- yeah. I don't suck animal blood, if you thought I did. It's no good anyway. You know, humans taste a lot better."

Bubblegum stopped in her tracks, horrified.

"Kidding! I've never actually had human blood. Humans are extinct in most regions anyway, I'm surprised you have one back at the-"

"Marceline, we have to go, right _now_."

"What?"

"Now!"

Marcy averted her eyes from the pink girl, and immediately realized what struck such terror in her. It wasn't the prospect of her sucking human blood. A vampire, armored specially against stakes and shielding night dwellers from the sun, was heading their way. He shot through the air at lightning speed, right for them.

Marceline didn't wait even a second before shouting, "Up we go!"

The princess yelped as cold hands grabbed her, in a rather ungentle fashion, and took off into the air. They went up and up for what felt like forever, the murderous vampire ever gaining on them.

"Marceline, the forest!"

They stopped suddenly and descended toward the trees, the wind blinding them as they cursed, hoping to shake the blood-sucking soldier. He didn't stop chasing.

"I have to leave you here, just for a second," Marcy said quickly, placing the candy girl on the widest and lowest branch of the nearest tree. If she was discovered, at least she could escape.

"What?! You can't leave me h-!"

"I'll be back!" she promised.

Teeth bared, she flew headfirst in the direction of the enemy. He wasn't deterred, and in seconds they collided. Marceline was not armed, nor protected. She was knocked immediately out of the sky from the contact, skidding violently against the dirt and gravel.

"Is that all you've got?" she snarled. She took flight once again, drawing dangerously near to the vampire. The switch in his eyes was easily noticeable, when recognition dawned on him.

"P-Princess?"

 _Oh. Well that's that. Guess I have to kill him now._

In the span of a second, she'd grabbed the distracted soldier, headbutting him, and crashed their skulls together with a sickening crack.

They both fell backward, smashing into the ground with no protection or compensation for the impact. They were both instantly knocked unconscious.

"Marceline!" Bubblegum had leapt from her hiding spot within the tree, running full-pelt to the two vampire bodies. She knelt beside her ally, patting her face roughly. "Marceline, wake up." She knew that vampires didn't perish so easily. So the dark-haired girl couldn't die on her, could she? Just as the thought crossed her mind, the patting promoted a groan from the girl, cracking her eyes open ever so slightly.

"Stake…" she mumbled.

"What?"

Marcy sat up partially, groaning. "Stake him." She rolled over, fumbling around, apparently searching the unconscious body for stakes.

Bonnibel pushed her hands away, looking for herself. Strapped to the man beneath his armor, by what looked like a utility belt, but more noble, were several tiny stakes. Perhaps they were for dealing with colleagues gone rogue: traitors. Rogues like Marceline. Without hesitation, the princess grabbed one, lifting the heavy armor with a struggle. With a swift downward motion, she'd driven the pointy piece of wood straight into his pale skin and through his heart. In but a moment, he was finished.

"Are you insane?" she said, panting. Marcy only grinned, her eyes still shut with relief, grateful for the survival and victory. "Come on, then, _genius_." She helped the girl sit up, who nearly fell back over. "Grr, Marceline, please. We don't have time for this. The others at the base definitely noticed the commotion. Who knows how long we have before they decide to come investigate the sudden silence."

"Mm fine." She allowed Bubblegum to help her to her dizzily to her feet.

"Tell me where to go." She huffed under the taller girl's weight, though the vampire was incredibly thin.

"Where we came," Marcy mumbled, entertained by Bonnibel's struggling.

They continued struggled for a while, going as quickly as they could to avoid being caught by the sellers of the market, or by the rest of the army base. They finally crossed the old intersection when Marcy completely came to, backing away from the princess's aid.

"We weren't supposed to run into them," she grumbled, directing them to a dark alleyway.

"Well, we did. And I had to kill that guy. I _killed_ him, without hesitation. Why?"

"Are you seriously asking that? It was him or us, Princess. Even if he survived and we did escape him, he would most definitely alert the others of our presence. Why are you stressed about one guy anyway, your sworn enemy?"

Bonnie fiddled with her cloak, avoiding eye contact, but holding her dignity without showing weakness. She could not compromise her credibility as an effective and capable ruler. But perhaps to Marceline… "I've never killed anyone. Not like that, anyway."

Marceline barked a laugh and led her to the end of the alley, where there was an abandoned drain pipe, taller than the both of them combined. It was dark and stuffy, as if it never knew the cleanliness of the wind. "Get used to it, good-looking. This is war. This," she gestured to themselves, then to their unusual surroundings, "is what war looks like. That dead soldier is what war looks like."

The pink girl suddenly tripped on seemingly nothing, but was caught by the arm by her fellow hero-in-progress.

"Stick close to me," said Marcy, continuing on. "The darkness is _my_ kingdom."

Bubblegum could almost sense a smirk from the girl. She sniffed uncomfortably. "Why are we in a drain pipe?"

It was Marcy's turn to sniff uncomfortably.

"This is where I go when I need to… get away. It leads directly to the forest just beyond the castle. Thing is, it's winding and way longer than just passing through the marketplace." She cursed and pouted. "We were so close."

"Marceline?"

"Mhm?"

"Why did that vampire call you Princess?" Bonnibel confidently challenged as they walked through the blackness.

" _All_ the boys call me princess," she quickly answered, smirking to hide her secret fraud.

"You're lying." Bonnie said immediately, but calmly. "Really, Marceline? You're the one who told me to look you in the eyes and see if you were true. You're a princess, aren't you?" Marceline froze, prompting the candy girl to stop as well. The vampire's mouth hung open, but with no words coming out. "A princess of what? _Where_?"

"Okay, listen, Bonnibel," she said finally. The name tasted sweet on her tongue. She ought to use it more often. "I don't think you really want to know."

"Uh, I think I do. We're, what? Partners now? Allies, at the least? I need to trust you. I need the _whole_ truth."

What did Marceline owe her? This explanation, this truth? She knew it so definitively, but she also knew that it was a liability to be known as the king's betrothed, the one to whom he should be wed. What would it do to what they'd already built, from strangers, to whatever this was? But yes, she owed it to the sugar girl. She did, somehow, and for some reason that was linked to her roots. It always went back to her roots.

"Princess, I need you to just, not freak out on me, okay?"

"I guess that quite depends…"

"Just-please? Walk with me?"

The princess nodded, and they continued travelling through the eerie pipe.

"There are many regions of respective royalty in the Vampire Kingdom. I was the daughter of a terrible king who married me off to a psycho, as soon as he could."

"You're married?" Somehow there seemed to be a look of betrayal within the candy girl's eyes.

"Well, no, we never married because I ran away. I risked my life, and my friend's life, to come to you."

"And this mysterious fiancé is who, exactly?"

Marcy began fidgeting with the end of her shirt, something she often noticed herself doing in uncomfortable situations. "See, Princess, this is the bad part."

"I'm listening. Who is it?"

There was a long stretch of reluctance, and absolute dread. Marceline one hundred percent would rather have literally _any_ other conversation. She inhaled sharply, and then let go.

"The Vampire King," she whispered, so softly that she wasn't even sure if the princess had heard her. But she must have. Bubblegum stopped dead in her tracks.

"Did you just say, the _Vampire King_?"

"Listen, please! It was an arranged marriage, and I never-"

"Marceline…"

"I mean I never _wanted_ to, and sometimes I think that's part of the reason of why I ran away, besides the war, you know? I mean-"

" _Marceline_ …"

"Can you really blame me? I was born into evil, and then shoved into an evil courting with-!"

"Marceline!"

She looked up, fear, unlike any she'd physically expressed, radiating from her eyes.

"It's fine," the princess simply stated.

"What?"

"I said it's fine," Bubblegum said softly. "I don't blame you. You were brought up within and forced into so much evil, and yet you chose the right path. What's different about you, I wonder? It must be genetic…" she trailed off, running possibilities of every circumstance through her brain.

Marceline crinkled her features at her in a pondering frown, before dropping the matter. "Sooo we're okay, then?"

"If you mean we as in partners who are about the save the two quarreling peoples of Ooo, then yes. We're okay."

Bonnibel smiled a big, beautiful smile, unforced and genuine. Somehow Marceline had overcome the hurdle of her acceptance easier than anything in the past two days. She had the princess on her side, and the princess had her. And for once, Marcy had hope.

They went on travelling through the drain, mostly talking to plan possible war tactics and products, and methods of preparation if worst came to worst. It was already nightfall by the time they reached the end opening of the pipe, with the forest directly in view. Far away, scavenging vampires were visible, searching for candy people, and coming up empty. They looked wild and starving. Evidently, there were no more stray candy people to catch. Other than the princess herself, which she realized with a shudder. Over the years, the hunters had become less and less, and now there were very few. Most were already converted to alternate diets of red shades or the blood of livestock. Still, it was unsafe to venture into the trees, so they opted on spending the night in the cold drain of never-ending shadows. Bubblegum was exhausted, naturally, and Marceline's sleep schedule was nearly as jacked up as the war itself. They took shifts guarding, like resting twin adventurers on a cruel night.

Marcy was barely drifting off to sleep, despite the fact that it was her turn to watch, when a large figure burst into their hiding spot. She shot up into the air with a yip, like a started dog. Her initial instinct was to grab the princess and flee, but as the candy girl shrieked from the sudden wake of consciousness, Marceline set her on her feet gently. The familiar sight of yellow and fangs brought her back down as well, panting like she'd run a mile.

"Leon?"


End file.
